• James M Mok, Tenner J Guillaume, Ufuk Talu, Sigurd H Berven, Vedat Deviren, Markus Kroeber, David S Bradford, and Serena S Hu.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0728, USA.
• Spine. 2009 Mar 15; 34 (6): 578-83.

Study DesignRetrospective case control study.ObjectiveDetermine the impact of infection on clinical outcome in patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion surgery.Summary Of Background DataThe outcome of patients treated for infection after spinal surgery is not well established because of variability in cohort identification, definition of infection, outcomes instrument, use of a control group, and/or sample size.MethodsThirty-two patients were included. Sixteen patients ("infection group") met inclusion criteria of deep wound infection after spinal fusion with posterior segmental instrumentation (including combined approach). A 1:1 matched cohort ("control group") was created based on primary or revision status, length of fusion, diagnosis, and age. Postoperative patient outcomes were evaluated using the physical components of SF-36 v2.0 with minimum 2-year follow-up.ResultsNo significant difference in the Physical Function, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, and General Health domains was detected between the infection group and control group. Mean follow-up was 62 months. Mean Physical Component Summary was 41.4 in the infection group and 44.3 in the control group (P = 0.6). Infection occurred early in 12 patients and late in 4 patients. Most common organisms isolated were Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus sp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Multiple debridements were significantly associated with polymicrobial infections and later pseudarthrosis requiring reoperation.ConclusionAn aggressive approach to deep wound infection emphasizing early irrigation and debridement allowed preservation of instrumentation and successful fusion in most cases. At the conclusion of treatment, patients can expect a medium-term clinical outcome similar to patients in whom this complication did not occur.

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